Man gets 40 years for assaulting child

Editor’s note: Details in this article are disturbing and may not be suitable for all readers.

EDWARDSVILLE — An Alton man was sentenced Thursday to 40 years on criminal sexual assault charges dating back to 2012.

James A. Steele, 48, was convicted by a Madison County jury on April 14 of two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony.

The Telegraph reported then that the case first came to light Dec. 3, 2012, when the child told her mother she was feeling pain when going to the bathroom. The mother called police, and police sent DNA samples in the child’s underwear to a state lab for testing.

Doctors at Cardinal Glennon Hospital also took a DNA sample from the child, and both samples matched the DNA of the defendant.

The child later took the stand and backed up Nolan’s claim. The victim, now 8, testified that she gave a recorded statement to an investigator at the Madison County Child Advocacy Center and that she told the truth.

Following the two-day trial, the jury deliberated approximately 90 minutes before returning a guilty verdict on both counts against Steele.

“The heinous actions by this man caused an immeasurable amount of suffering to this young victim, and now he will spend what we hope will be the rest of his life in prison,” he said.

Gibbons expressed his admiration and appreciation to everyone involved in the successful investigation and prosecution of the case.

“The bravery shown by this young victim allowed the Children’s Justice Division, the Children’s Advocacy Center, and local law enforcement to work together to secure justice for her with the hope that she will find healing in the future,” he said.

Associate Judge Neil Schroeder sentenced Steele to 20 years each on the two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. Steele has been in custody at the Madison County Jail in Edwardsville since being charged on May 9, 2013. He will be required to serve at least 85 percent of the sentences, which will run consecutively.